Laser eye surgery - who's had it?

[whitenoisemachine]

I'm fairly local to London and wondered who you'd recommend / where you had it?

I had it done in 2008 at Optical Express by a lady who did it for Nelson Mandela (or so I was told).

Best 3k I ever spent.

Had Lasek in 2005 in my mid 20s. The procedure or technology has probably improved a lot since then, but I would recommend it to anyone who is eligible for it. Worth every penny, especially as I was struggling with contact lenses after years of wearing them.
I've just started to need reading glasses but that's an age thing.

Went optical express in 2011. Best 3k I've ever spent. Lots of support and checks after. The procedure is very fast less than 2 minutes. It's scary but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Still have a well above average sight from the op

I had it done last year with Optical Express. It cost me £6,000, but my prescription was -8 and -8.5 with astigmatism in both eyes, so definitely the top end of the price scale!!

I had LASIK and had 20/20 vision at my appointment less than 24 hours after the surgery. I could see well straight away, it was bizarre.

I had bad halos and dry eye for around 3 months. At one point I was using drops 3x an hour and really regretting my decision.

2 months or so in my vision at night took an absolute nose dive - I couldn’t even meet the driving standard. I went back in several times, and the tests concluded my eyes were over focussing and I didn’t need any corrective surgery.

Around 8 months in my eyes settled (they were right!) and I had perfect vision, no dry eye and no night time halos.

It wasn’t a quick fix for me, but it was the best decision ever!

I had mine done 18 Years ago at Optimax, it was the best investment I've ever made on myself. I now need reading glasses (getting old!) But my far sight is still almost perfect

I went to Optical Express, highly recommend them. It was a very quick procedure, just a couple of minutes, not pleasant but not awful. Being able to see perfectly less than 24 hours later was umbelievable.

I had mine done in 2013 (I think?), short sighted with astigmatism. Had it done at optical express I think, at Bluewater. Was back in glasses full time by 2020. I loved it for that short time but ultimately it was a total waste of £3k.

Do you mind me asking what happened and why you’re back in glasses? Such a shame, I really thought the results were meant to last a lot longer than that!

My eyesight just started deteriorating again, not sure why. I was 30 when I had it done and my prescription was fairly stable too. Such a shame but it won’t work for everyone, some of my colleagues had it done and they’ve not gone back to glasses and are 15+ years down the line.

@Snackpocket thats so rubbish, 7 years is nothing really when you’ve spent all that money!

I had mine done at 37, and they said I’d need readers in a few years regardless (thanks old age) and that if I had a baby that could also affect short sightedness… but that otherwise with a stable prescription it should last a long time. I know one other person who had it at 22, and needed glasses to drive by 40, but that’s not bad going given how young she was!

I would be cautious. There are lots of stories if people left in chronic pain and with bison issues after laser eye surgery. I think the risk is small of it happening but if that did happen it would be life altering. I'd do your research and make sure you are aware if and happy with the risks before proceeding.

amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/18/lasik-laser-eye-surgery

Thanks for your responses all. I've looked into the London Vision Clinic and I think that's where I'll head when the time is right. I'm breastfeeding still so I'm not able to book a consultation until 3 months after I finish.

I had LASIK 20 years ago. I was -20 in both eyes. I had perfect vision immediately after surgery, but have settled at -4/-4.5. I don't regret it as it has given me many more options, but these days with a similar prescription I'd go for lens replacement instead. LASIK for high prescriptions is very unpredictable, lens replacement much less so.

I had it done at Optical Express in 2008. Perfect vision immediately, brilliant results. Around 2 years ago I felt I needed correction when driving at dusk/night. I had a test and in -1 in both eyes so I wear glasses for driving and TV. No problem and I’m very glad I had it done

I had it done at Moorfields eye hospital in 2015 by David Gartry.

I did a lot of research at the time and he was a pioneer in this field since the early days and was highly regarded. So glad I went for it :)

davidgartry.co.uk

I had mine done at Moorfields Eye Hospital in 2018. Couldn't recommend highly enough!

I had Lasek with Advanced Vision Care in 2011. I've had around 10 years of perfect sight before developing a very minor prescription in the last couple of years, but I wouldn't do it if I had my time again because I've also had dry eyes ever since the surgery.